The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 378: Eavesdropping Stakes

[Chapter 378: Eavesdropping Stakes]

The Butterfly Security Company inspected the Coastal Building, and FBI technical personnel discreetly conducted their own tests. They ultimately discovered seven rooms equipped with listening devices.

All these rooms were located on the top three floors of the building, where Twitter executives worked and held meetings. Hawke kept the situation quiet and had Campos coordinate with Jennifer on the investigation. The FBI quietly accepted the report from Twitter.

...

After Jennifer left with her team, Hawke called Campos and asked, "Is one of the listening devices already active?"

Campos confirmed after personally checking, "We've found that one of the devices in Meeting Room 2 had been activated before we discovered it."

Hawke nodded, a bit curious. "I wonder who's over there."

Edward made a wild guess, "Maybe they're jealous of how much money we're making?"

Hawke also wasn't sure whether the other side was friend or foe, but regardless, he decided to send them a 'generous gift' and see if they'd accept it.

...

Hawke pulled out his phone and called Tom Cruise, asking, "Tommy, are there any major projects in Hollywood that are over $100 million, preferably around $150 million?"

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Tom Cruise thought for a moment and replied, "Spider-Man 3, Transformers, I Am Legend -- those productions all have costs exceeding $150 million, and including marketing, the total investments won't be less than $250 million. Oh, and there's another one. I just heard that New Line Cinema is planning to adapt Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy into a fantasy epic. They say the first installment, The Golden Compass, has a production budget expected to be around $180 million and is currently looking for financing."

The first three movies Tom mentioned didn't pique Hawke's interest, but when he heard The Golden Compass, he remembered Tom Cruise's stunning ex-wife and said, "Got it, thanks."

"Are you planning to invest in a movie?" Tom Cruise cautioned. "Don't go making rash investments in Hollywood. Hollywood has its own accounting rules that can turn a blockbuster into a loss and leave outside investors empty-handed."

Hawke laughed, saying, "I know my way around Hollywood; I won't make any rash investments."

...

After hanging up, Hawke thought seriously, wondering which company had been the most unscrupulous over the past few years. He called Edward over, gave some instructions, and then called Tom Cruise again.

A few minutes later, the two entered Meeting Room 2, with Hawke pulling out a chair to sit down. Edward brought a stack of documents and placed them on the meeting table, saying, "Boss, this just came from Tom Cruise."

Hawke flipped through the files, the papers rustling as he browsed. After a while, he said, "Did his people mention why they chose this?"

"They did," Edward said quickly. "New Line Cinema's success with The Lord of the Rings trilogy gave them extensive experience in the fantasy genre, and this new production belongs to that same genre."

Hawke instructed, "You notify the manager of the foundation to get in touch with the production team first."

Edward took out his phone and began calling, speaking clearly and systematically while delegating tasks.

The two didn't leave right away and spent some time discussing smaller matters in the meeting room. About ten minutes later, Hawke was the first to leave the room. Edward then took out his phone and called Maria Collins, engaging in an argument with his ex-girlfriend.

For authenticity, the Savior was really fighting.

...

Edward exited the meeting room and found Hawke, asking, "Boss, if it were me over there, they'd surely think it was real."

Hawke smiled. "Just because they think it's real doesn't mean they'll use it; we still don't know exactly who they are."

Hawke had to prepare for the upcoming shareholders' meeting. Glancing at the time, he said, "Let's go back to the office."

---

In a parking lot not far from Coastal Building, Baldwin hurried over, carrying burgers and soda, and opened the door of a black business vehicle.

Inside the car, Rams was wearing headphones and recording, and when he heard the door open, he made a shushing gesture to Baldwin. The latter gently closed the door, placed the burgers and soda down, and patiently waited.

After a few minutes, Rams pressed the stop button on the recorder, took off his headphones, and grabbed a burger to eat. Baldwin asked, "Aren't those Mexican workers complaining about low wages?"

Rams suppressed his mouthful of food and replied, "Didn't you see Hawke Osment enter the building from afar?"

"A Benz parked at the front of the building, and the person inside went straight in," Baldwin pointed at the binoculars, asserting, "I can't be mistaken; it was definitely Hawke Osment."

Rams nodded with a serious expression. "I just intercepted a signal from room 2; Hawke Osment and his assistant were discussing work."

Baldwin became interested and asked, "What were they talking about?"

"Only a few minutes about work," Rams replied simply. "The rest was just small talk, about personal arrangements."

He pressed the play button, and the voices of the two men echoed in the car. Baldwin listened and said, "After eavesdropping for so long, we finally got something useful. You stay here while I take this back."

Rams, with his mouth full of burger, waved him off. Baldwin took the tape, exited the vehicle, and got into a neighboring Hyundai, driving over to West Hollywood.

...

There was a bar open only at night, and Baldwin handed the tape to the bar owner there. An hour later, the tape arrived at Universal Studios and was placed on the desk of Anderson, chairman of the BlackRock Film Foundation.

The BlackRock Film Foundation had entered Hollywood, and their first project was in collaboration with Focus Features, similarly renting office space at Universal Studios. Anderson waited a moment before directly meeting Haas, who was planning the eavesdropping operation, in his office.

Haas asked, "Did you get anything?"

Anderson pointed to the tape, saying, "Just got this delivered, waiting for you."

"Finally some news," Haas sighed, spinning in his chair to face Anderson. "Headquarters keeps pressuring us for information on Twitter, not caring how tough the actual work is."

Anderson deeply understood, his brow furrowing. "The higher-ups still have their eyes on Twitter, especially the rivalry with Hawke Osment; it's a matter of life and death."

Both had worked under Douglas Coster, president of BlackRock's San Francisco branch, and understood the enmity between BlackRock and Twitter. Anderson inserted the tape into the recorder and pressed play.

The voices of the two men filled the room. "One is Hawke Osment; I've heard his voice before," Haas, the mastermind behind the eavesdropping, stated, having researched both Twitter and the target individuals. "The other should be Edward Connor, nicknamed the Savior; that's definitely him."

Anderson nodded, listening intently. After listening through, they found only a few pieces of information were useful; the rest was small talk, which had no immediate application.

Edward, after Hawke left the meeting room, was still arguing with his ex-girlfriend over the phone.

...

Anderson took out the tape, summoned his trusted assistant, and instructed him to make digital copies. "They mentioned Tom Cruise and the fantasy blockbuster by New Line Cinema. It seems Hawke Osment's personal foundation is interested in investing in this project."

Haas picked up the phone, "I'll ask."

...

The BlackRock Film Foundation also focused on film investment, gathering basic information on new projects or proposals forming within the industry. A few minutes later, detailed information was delivered.

Anderson glanced at the project information on the film. "New Line Cinema spent big to secure the film adaptation rights for Philip Pullman's bestselling fantasy children's book, His Dark Materials trilogy. The first film, The Golden Compass, is about to be initiated, with a production plan budget of $180 million, confirmed to star Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise's ex-wife."

"No wonder Tom Cruise recommended this film," Haas recollected. "I remember Nicole Kidman publicly reaffirming her feelings for him, saying he was her eternal love. They won't reconcile, will they?"

Considering their relationship, Anderson thought Haas had a point; Hollywood often saw such breakups and reconciliations. He leaned in from an investment perspective, saying, "Our investment in Brokeback Mountain didn't hit the mark. Now that the foundation is directly overseen by headquarters, during last week's meeting, many expressed dissatisfaction, feeling that BlackRock should dissolve the film foundation in favor of promoting marginalized group initiatives from a commercial investment angle."

Haas replied, "If they do shut it down, we'll definitely be out of a job."

Anderson nodded. "We need to achieve some kind of success! See, The Golden Compass is a fantasy film. New Line Cinema, for nearly 40 years, has found success with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is also a fantasy genre, and both originated from bestselling books!"

Haas chuckled, "From that perspective, this film has a high chance of success."

"I agree," Anderson, having been in Hollywood for just a few years, leaned more on commercial analyses. "Following a successful model makes it easier to achieve success."

Haas suddenly had an idea and lowered his voice, "We could invest more funds into this project."

Investment was not just commerce; it also involved office politics, and Anderson immediately understood, "As long as the amount invested is significant enough, headquarters won't consider dissolving the film foundation in the short term."

Both men had aligned interest in this matter. Haas added, "Considering the nearly $100 million investment, we need to report to headquarters."

Anderson thought for a moment and said, "Along with Hawke Osment, let's say this newly formed fund wants to invest. Once we pour in significant capital, we can set exclusivity clauses with the production studio, preventing any rejection from investors or companies we don't approve."

Haas nodded, "Great approach! Headquarters will certainly approve."

Anderson then asked his assistant to gather related information, quickly confirming that Tom Cruise had reached out to New Line Cinema about investment opportunities.

A detailed report was drafted and sent by the two men to BlackRock's headquarters.

*****

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